HUGE UPDATE:

Sonya Fry has retained a lawyer to fight Indianhead Biomass. After months of research, we have concluded that this is our only chance at fighting this injustice. 

We are asking for as much support as we can get to help ease this heavy financial burden:

www.gofundme.com/StopTheStinkStAugustine

The website regarding the situation has been updated and you can read all about the timeline of violations as well as FAQs at:
www.StopTheStinkStAugustine.com

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Since Indianhead Biomass Services began biohazard and waste processing in 2019, the neighboring communities have been affected due to their illegal operations and many violations as noted in the consent order from the FDEP that was issued October 2024. (FDEP vs Indianhead Biomass, LLC, et al. Consent Order, OGC No. 24-1614.)

     For years, the residents of nearby communities have been submitting complaints about the horrid smell of human feces in the area. Many residents have reported feeling nauseous, experiencing worse asthma, getting sick more frequently, headaches, and dizzy spells. The quality of life has been affected due to people being unable to go outside during the days and nights in which the stench is worse. Recently, as of October 2024, the smell has reached as far as Osceola Elementary and Murray Middle School. With more and more houses being added to the vicinity, the community is concerned for the health and well-being of both the current and the future residents.

     According to the FDEP findings, Indianhead Biomass Services failed to process biosolids using the approved methods as required by their permit, they failed to provide required documentation including monthly monitoring reports, quality assurance documentation including chain of custody forms and pathogen reduction/vector attraction reduction confirmation documents. In March 2023, the FDEP verified the presence of odors within Morgans Cove residential development and along Carter Road which have been confirmed to be consistent with the odor profile detected at Indianhead Biomass Services. Indianhead Biomass failed to take corrective actions, including processing of biosolids within the requirements of the BMF Permit. (Consent Order, p.4-5)

     The community is also concerned for the quality of soil and water in the area due to the illegal operations and dumping of waste. In the consent order, Indianhead was found in violation of operating, processing, and storing domestic wastewater biosolids outside of their permit approved zones and did not have effective and complete berms to contain stormwater onsite. On March 29, 2024, they were found to have stored vegetative debris on site for longer than eighteen months, then upon reinspection, on April 5 and 10, 2024, FDEP discovered that Indianhead Biomass transported and placed vegetative debris into a St. Johns River Water Management District permitted borrow pond without authorization where some vegetative debris was found in the water. (Consent Order, p.4-5)

     In addition, they have been operating close to homes, within 200ft, so much so that it has woken up residents in the middle of the night due to their heavy machinery. 

     Indianhead used to only process yard trash and many locals have spoken about how there didn’t used to be such a strong stench that is distinctly human feces lingering in the area. Ever since they got the permit to process waste, the air quality has been impacted significantly and is continuing to negatively impact the lives of everyone around the facility, reaching as far out as three miles that we are aware of. 

     The community requests that Indianhead Biomass Services ceases all production regarding waste management and biohazard materials. Since they began processing waste and biohazard, they have failed to comply with the permit and legalities. The community does not have faith that Indianhead Biomass Services will adhere to the permit in the future if they couldn’t even do it upon inception in 2019. They have proven that they are incapable of adhering to the allowed permit and actively disregarded requests to take corrective actions from the FDEP issued in March of 2023 (Consent Order, p.5), and Indianhead Biomass Services is continuing to operate under a BMF permit that expired August 7, 2023. (Consent Order, p.3) 

     St. Augustine is a beautiful area with a rich history as the Oldest City in America. The community would like to see the quality of this city be preserved and maintained not only for the residents that live here, but for the tourists and visitors we see each year, and the future. We would like to request aid in returning and assuring the quality of our air, health, and life to our beautiful area by ceasing all waste and biohazard operations done by Indianhead Biomass Services.

 Read more @ www.StopTheStinkStAugustine.com